Bubble Gum and Brain Power — The Takeaway

Photo by Caitlin Covington

Humans have been finding things to chew on for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and Mayans chewed on tree resin, while the first “chewing gum” was made in the 1800s from a type of rubber known as chicle (yup, the same stuff Chiclets were named after!). While today’s gum tastes a lot better, the ancient Greeks and Mayans may have been on to something— studies suggest the ancient chewers may have felt less stress than their non-gum-chewing counterpartsEffect of regular chewing gum on levels of anxiety, mood, and fatigue in healthy young adults. Sasaki-Otomaru, A., Sakuma, Y., Mochizuki, Y., et al. Department of Fundamental Nursing and Life Support, Division of Comprehensive Health Nursing Sciences, Graduate School of Health Care Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health: CP & EMH, 2011;7:133-9. Epub 2011 Aug 5..